


Standing There, Killing Time

by htbthomas



Category: Palm Springs (2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Extra Gift, Fire, Gen, Infidelity, Murder, Revenge, Time Loop, ToT: Battle of the Bands, Trick or Treat: Trick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:15:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27260059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/htbthomas/pseuds/htbthomas
Summary: Tala stands there, looking at her hands. They're not shaking, shouldn't they be shaking? They are, however, covered in blood.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15
Collections: Trick or Treat Exchange 2020





	Standing There, Killing Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [falsettodrop](https://archiveofourown.org/users/falsettodrop/gifts).



> Title from _all the good girls go to hell_ by Billie Eilish.

Tala stands there, looking at her hands. They're not shaking, shouldn't they be shaking? They are, however, covered in blood.

Abe's blood.

There's an hour left until it all resets, until she wakes up at the wedding reception with Sarah's voice in her ear, "Abe cheated on you last night, with me." She'd thought it was a horrible joke the first time, that Sarah had finally lost all sense of good taste. "It's okay if you hate me," she'd continued. "But it takes two to tango."

And then she danced off down the aisle and away.

They'd gone off on their honeymoon anyway, Tala almost in shock in the airplane seat beside Abe. It couldn't be true, could it? But every time he smiled at the flight attendant and then back at her, her stomach started to churn. She'd fumbled for the air sickness bag, Abe rubbing her back and asking her if she was all right. He was so sweet.

But she'd confronted him that night, while feeling nauseous at sight of the beautiful hotel bed they were supposed to share, the one now splattered in the same blood that covered her hands, and he'd broken down crying. He hadn't meant to, he said, it just happened, he said. And she yelled and screamed and pounded on his chest and he just kept apologizing and promising never to fuck up again.

And she forgave him that first time, she doesn't know why, because looking down on his body, his surprised, wide-open gaze, she feels nothing but rage and the need to do it again and again. 

And she will. She'll do it as many times as it takes until she's purged of all anger, all betrayal, all sadness. Until there's nothing left.

She walks over to pluck one of the lit long-stemmed candles flickering on the side table from its holder. Then she holds it over that beautiful bed and lets it drop, lets it burn, lets the flames lick at Abe's body, at the hem of her dress. ignoring the burning feeling of the smoke getting into her lungs. The quicker it takes her, the quicker this will start all over again.

The quicker she can leave this all behind.

Because when she's ready, she's following her sister down that aisle. It'll be Sarah's turn.


End file.
